Currently, when it is desired to watch a TV program, the viewer is at the mercy of the content providers as to what that viewer watches and at what time. This is changing now that digital recorders, such as the TIVO system from Philips, can record many hours of TV programs thereby allowing viewers to delay watching broadcasts for a period of time by recording such broadcasts for later viewing. Such systems also allow users to select programs to be aired in the future and to record the selected shows. These systems also allow users to select topics and the system selects the shows that match these selected topics. Such systems work well, but suffer from the fact that they also are dependent upon the preselection of content by the content provider. If a person desires to view a certain movie, (or to view, for example, a documentary on the life of George Washington) and if that desired movie (or documentary) was not scheduled for showing within a finite time in the future, the user is not be able to schedule it, except perhaps by broad topic types. In any event, the user cannot in any manner, cause movies, or programs, to be delivered which were not scheduled for delivery.
This same problem exists when users are trying to obtain information from the Internet. The user can only gain access to information if that information exists on the Internet at the time that the information is sought. However, even if the information existed on the Internet at that time, obtaining that information, even using the very sophisticated tools available today, is not trivial. For example, assume that a user desires to obtain tickets to see a certain play (or concert) or to see a certain performer when and if that play, concert or performer is next in town. Today, the user would access the Internet and look for the name of the play or the name of the performer. If there was a scheduled performance, the user might, depending upon his/her skill (and patience), find it. But if there was nothing scheduled (or contemplated) then the user would come away (usually after spending considerable time looking) with nothing.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a system and method which allows an information seeking individual to gather information even when that information is not currently available and to have that information delivered when it becomes available.
There is also a need in the art for a system and method which allows a user to schedule the delivery of desired information at controllable times in the future using media mutually agreed upon by the requesting and providing parties.